HQ
by Kagami no Basuke
Summary: To her, it means high quality but he argues that it's headquarters. It is an unending argument but it is the process of getting to the answer that counts. Drabble series.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Psycho-Pass does not belong to me.

A/N: In dedication to Anonymous. Ah, yeah, no account but here is your request. (I am a big fan of Yayoi too. Cheers!)

* * *

**1st Floor**

The first time Yayoi sees him, he is still an inspector.

She thinks, only fools can be deceived by such crude bribery and she knows who she is – she still has her pride, even after the long hours, days, months she has spent in the institution. Who is he kidding?

To return to society as a lapdog is not an offer she will accept.

But when he presents her the Ernie Ball string, she relents.

* * *

**2nd Floor**

Kougami is driving. No, he isn't – the car is automatic.

She reminds him from the backseat that second-hand smoke is more dangerous.

He shrugs and never cares to look back at her. It angers her but she does not have that privilege – she is the loyal hound and he is her master.

What he does next, however, truly astounds her.

He crushes the cigarette with the sole of his shoe and smiles, very lightly but he does.

"Happy?" He asks but she cannot respond.

_Maybe._

* * *

**3rd Floor**

"You will do fine," he tells her, and his reassuring grip is warm in her fingertips.

It is their first mission briefing together and Yayoi hears her teeth grinding, feels her nails digging into her palms. Anxiety, when it comes, crashes in successive waves.

Her gaze travels from the spectators and then back to the screen.

Inhale. Exhale. She repeats.

She notices his eyes trained on her and her alone. Her breathing evens out and she acknowledges him – his support – and she answers to his expectations.

That same night, they raid both Yellow Hood and 27 Club.

* * *

**4th Floor**

Kougami shows her to her living quarters – he cannot call it a _home_ because that is beyond preposterous.

Walls are white-washed, the tiles reek of disinfectant. She does not complain but her hands hover over her nose because the stench is something she cannot tolerate.

He glances at her and then takes a handkerchief off his pocket. He loans it to her – tries – but she rejects him because she doesn't want more debts.

* * *

**5th Floor**

The Dominator, Yayoi notes, is light in comparison to its role – Sybil's eyes, he says.

Apparently, Sasayama has a short fuse and causes a ruckus in 27 Club. They respond along with Ginoza and she runs into the chaos all for the slim chance of reuniting with an old friend.

Rina's voice resounds in her ears, like a broken record.

They meet but it isn't all cheer. Things change and her naivety brings her to ruins – she cannot save her, not anyone.

She aims but she cannot shoot. The trigger does not yield and with no other option, she chases a fading phantom but she fails – her happiness slips from her grasp.

He watches in silence and she breaks.

"I will become an enforcer," she says and finally, she falls into his trap.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Psycho-Pass does not belong to me.

A/N: Ah, sorry for the long wait, anon (and to the rest who followed)! School is being such a jerk to me.

(This time, it's in Kougami's POV. Enjoy!)

A/N(2): My sense of humor is dull. O, woe is me.

A/n(3): (Haha.) I realize that the anime /spoiler/ is taking the ShinAka!route /spoiler/ but I cannot bring myself to care.

* * *

**6****th**** Floor**

"I'm not supposed to be out here," she reasons, quite soundly at that.

Kougami lifts his brow – he does get her point but why? He is taking her for a breath of fresh air, away from the suffocating walls of the headquarters and yet she says, _implies_, that she is uncomfortable where they are heading.

Rather, he understands and her mere perplexity is making him laugh; although, he wants to show enough decency to not erupt in a fit in front of her.

"We're out on official business," he reassures her. Glancing back, he sees that she isn't convinced. "Shopping for appliances is business, I'll have you know."

"Enlighten me," she challenges.

For a split second, he lets his pretty, little mind do all the dirty work – really, how is he to come up with a way to tell her that decorating her room with furnishings while making it sound professional? He knows that she is anxious, _quite_, as the soles of her polished shoes tap against the floor.

Then, he hits the jackpot.

"You cannot live on instant noodles every, single day, can you?" he says and hands her a pamphlet of cooking appliances.

She seems pleased with his answer and he decides that he can live with that.

* * *

**7****th**** Floor**

"Black," Kougami argues.

"White," she responds.

With their aimless bickering, they have attracted a crowd; to an on-looker, they may look like a couple (sans the suit, and in her case, pencil skirt and a matching blazer) quarreling about something as mundane as to which color is better.

There stands a minimalistic lounge chair in between both of them, the very source of the long-winded debate.

"It's my quarters, so I'll decide," she tells him, flatly.

Surely, he doesn't want to press his authority onto her so he relents.

"We will purchase this on my account." Just as they are walking to the counter, he spots a settee in a chic, grey hue. He fights the urge but soon gives in and inspects it, with her in tow.

She nods silently. "I think I like this better."

* * *

**8****th**** Floor**

Pheromones or not, the attraction is there.

Kougami knows that he has a _thing _for smart women, and she is not an exemption. Her aptitude as a detective far exceeds the norms, hence her being his subordinate – no, a companion. Latent criminal or not, he intends to let his interest burn, unless she snuffs it out herself.

"I'll take you to dinner," he offers as they pass his favorite haunt inside the department store.

She is maintaining a safe distance but scoots near him as she answers, "I dislike cheapskates."

There is a mischievous lilt in her voice and he seizes the opening in her defense.

She is smiling as he walks closer to her, and he holds comfort in the subtle warmth between them.

* * *

**9****th**** Floor**

"Thank you."

Kougami narrowly misses hearing her say it but he does nonetheless.

(Although, he hates himself for acting like an excited, prepubescent kid – he feels his heart skip a beat – and he pretends to itch for cigarettes when it is actually the opposite.)

* * *

**10****th**** Floor**

Kougami leads her to her room and she bows to him – a sign of her gratitude.

"The furniture will arrive early this week." He is using this pretense to continue the conversation; she seems pleased with his company but there is something in her that he cannot decipher. Perhaps, he isn't as much of a lady's man as he has initially thought?

"I guess I'll see you–" She looks to her right and tells him that she hears something.

He nods in agreement and she sends him off with a smile.

("Sasayama!" He roars later in the night. Sasayama does not deny eavesdropping on his superior and between the fits of laughter, he figures he doesn't regret it either.)


End file.
